The Altai Tire Factory has begun producing the firstbatches of tires for the new Russian passenger aircraft Il-114-300, MS-21-310 and Superjet.
In the spring of 2026, the new production facility successfully passed all tests, and serial production began at the Altai Tire Plant in Barnaul, following a deep production upgrade and the completion of the installation of new equipment.
According to information from specialists at the United Aircraft Corporation, development of the Russian-made 1A main strut tire for the Superjet began at the Altai Tire Plant in 2016, and dozens of tests were conducted in Russia and China. Testing concluded in 2024, and the plant received product certification. The new tires were then fitted onto a Superjet prototype at the Zhukovsky Airport in Russia, at the Yakovlev Flight Test Station.
According to the results of the KT 32-02 platform standard tests, the main support frames of the Superjet aircraft can withstand 100 "take-off and landing" cycles under maximum operating pressure, given that the weight of the aircraft frame is 59 kg.
As for the MS-21-310 aircraft, work on developing its tires began in 2020. Certificates of suitability for the main and front struts of this type of passenger aircraft were obtained in the fall of 2024, and the tires were installed on the experimental aircraft.
For the Il-114-300, special radial tires were developed that differ in design from the radial tires of the Superjet and MS-21 aircraft. The technical requirements for the tires of this aircraft are higher than those of its larger counterparts because it must withstand very low temperature conditions and land on small, dusty airfields.
It is worth noting that modern aircraft tires can withstand temperature fluctuations from -60°C to 150°C, provide a landing speed of approximately 250 km/h, and prevent aquaplaning in aircraft weighing 100 tons or more. Therefore, their development and production technology differ from those of car tires. For this reason, the number of aircraft tire manufacturers worldwide is no more than 10, including Goodyear in the United States, Michelin in France, Bridgestone in Japan, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres in the United Kingdom, and a few factories in China.
